Angel Meringue (cup)Cake with Lemon Curd

The boyfriend and I were going to a post-Christmas, pre-New Years potluck with his friends.  We were asked to bring a dessert, so obviously of the two of us, the task was given to me.  I knew that someone was going to bring a cheesecake, so I wanted to bring something that was the opposite of cheesecake. So, what’s the opposite of cheesecake?  I’m thinking a light and fluffy angel food cake – the key to which is whipping up egg whites to stiff peaks and folding in the flour.  Since angel food cakes require a lot of egg whites, I use a carton of just egg whites (like eggbeaters).  Well, this time, I tried whipping up the egg whites, and it wouldn’t whip up…5 times! I finally decided that some yolk accidentally made its way into the carton during the assembly process (since even a drop of fat will keep the egg whites from whipping up), so I bought another carton.  Presto, stiff peaks!  I made cupcakes with the left over batter.

Check out the verdict at the end of the post!

Angel Food Cake

Adapted from here.

Ingredients

1 cup + 1 Tablespoon cake flour

1 ½ cups granulated sugar

12 egg whites

1 Tablespoon warm water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cream of tartar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

2.       Sift flour and ¾ cup of sugar 4 times into a bowl.

3.       In a large (non-plastic) bowl, beat egg whites and warm water until foamy (30 seconds).

4.       Add salt, cream of tartar, and vanilla, and beat on medium until soft peaks.

5.       Gradually add the remaining ¾ cup sugar while beating. Beat to stiff peaks on high.

6.       Sift flour mixture over egg whites in six parts and fold in with a spatula.

7.       Pour into an 8 inch ungreased cake pan and bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

8.       Flip the cake pan upside down and balance the edges of the pan on cups (see picture).  Cool like this for 1 hour as it will ensure a high cake.  When completely cool, run a knife along the edge before unmolding.

*if you have extra batter, bake cupcakes for 16 minutes

After baking

Cooling upside down on (step 8)

Meringue

From previous post.

Ingredients

2 egg whites

½  teaspoon cream of tartar

1/8  teaspoon salt

½  teaspoon vanilla extract

½  cup sugar

Directions

1.       Preheat oven to 200^○ F. Trace 2 circles (of the cake pan from above recipe – I used 8 inch pans) onto parchment paper.  Place circle side down onto baking sheet.

2.       In a large metal bowl, beat egg whites, cream of tartar, and salt to soft peaks.

3.       Add vanilla and beat.

4.       Gradually add sugar and beat until stiff.

5.       Spread meringue into the circles on the baking sheet.

6.       For meringue decorations, line a piping bag with raspberry jam and fill with egg white mixture.  Pipe decorations on baking sheet.

7.       Bake for 1.5 hours or until they are thoroughly dry. Leave in oven with heat turned off for another hour.

Meringue lined with raspberry jam.

Before baking

Cake assembly

1.       Place first meringue layer on plate.  Apply lemon curd (I used store bought).

2.       Place angel food cake on top.

3.       Apply lemon curd on cake. Place meringue layer on top.

4.       Apply lemon curd on the meringue layer and decorate with raspberry meringue decorations.

Cupcake assembly

1.       Core cupcakes using a paring knife and fill with lemon curd.

2.       Place core back into cupcake, and spread a layer of lemon curd on top.

3.       Place a raspberry meringue decoration on top.

Cored cupcake

Verdict:  The cake was a perfect alternative to the cheesecake!  It turned out super fluffy and the meringues gave it a nice crunch!  The lemon curd gave it a tartness that complemented the sweetness and gave it flavor!  I am always amazed by how a simple cake with very little ingredients (and no fat) can be so tasty!